Make Believe Melodies For September 28, 2020
Featuring Valknee, Smany And More
Image via Ototoy
Valknee Diary EP
Valknee has been keeping busy during pandemic 2020. She released one of the better “Tokyo Drift” freestyles (complete with Berryz Kobo poster proudly displayed) back when that was trending hard, and then served as the first voice heard on “Zoom,” a posse cut riffing on our current communication platform of choice. Both of those uploads comment on the state of this year, but her just released Diary EP offers insight into her mental state during all this #stayathome. Thankfully, this isn’t a commentary on the new normal, but rather a chance to poke at lurking thoughts, from materialism (“Nise Balenciaga,” or “Fake Balenciaga” in English) to idol worship (EP highlight “Super Kawaii Oshi,” video below). It’s clever and at times biting — and always backed by great beats — but never cruel. Dropping big money to high five our favorite pop stars and spending late nights staring at fancams might go under the microscope, but Valknee isn’t judging as much as turning it all over, no real judgements made. We’ve all had a lot of time on our hands, and this is, fittingly, a diary of what she’s been focused on.
Smany Illuminate
Electronic creator Smany originally hovered around the Japanese netlabel community, putting out sparse but springy enough albums via Bunkai-Kei Records. She’s been drifting towards shadowier sounds in recent years however, tip-toeing towards darkness on last year’s to lie latent out through Progressive Form and now going further with a full-length put out by Virgin Babylon Records, home to World’s End Girlfriend among other dramatic pop acts. That project helps shape Illuminate, a mostly sparse and inward-looking effort with moments of total release courtesy of string swells. Here’s the part where I throw in “but light gets through the cracks to offer hope,” but that tends to be fleeting, as even seemingly joy-teasing moments give way to unease (see the electronic skitters ending the album). It’s far more complicated — and rewarding — for that. Get it here.
Uami “Sandstorm”
One of the best albums released this year came courtesy of Fukuoka artist Uami and Dos Monos’ member Botsu, who dropped an EP this summer finding the pair singing and rapping over disintegrating beats while being unafraid to crash into one another vocally. It’s not chaotic, but constantly teeters on the brink of collapse, all while bringing out the best in both contributors. That one, coupled with her previous SoundCloud output, has made me imagine Uami as someone very online, yet new song “Sandstorm” flips that assumption around. This is closer to Flau than Deathbomb Arc, nudged forward by music box twinkles and layered vocals. It’s absorbing in a completely different way, but that only makes her an even more intriguing creator to watch.
Various Artists Handaya-VR20
COVID-19 has ruined many things, and pretty far down the list would be “raves in Sendai.” Yet while paling in comparison to “the global tourism industry” and “America,” that still stands as a disruption, especially for Handaya Rave Crew, who put on events in the capital of Miyagi Prefecture. Yet on the plus side, they can drop this compilation, one of the more thrilling intros to a local scene in 2020. Sendai has a group of people making footwork built around enka samples and hardcore rave outs! Get it here, knowing all proceeds help for future live events.
BNK48 X Grab “Can you…?”
Allow me this trip outside of my lane to dip into Thai pop…but I can’t stop thinking about this goofy song. Put aside all competition, direct or indirect, between industries and marvel at a song that is neatly split between modern J-pop (easy-breezy melodies, the idol-easy choreography, literally being delivered by an AKB48 sister group) and K-pop (the video, the sudden pivot to rap, the stomach gurgling sound effect), with a little extra mixed in (that bright synth melody at the end of the chorus is...pure Kero Kero Bonito? I took cold medicine, maybe I’m tripping). Uniting the two sides...a shared love of commercial tie-ups (BNK48 is technically sharing the marquee with Grab, which is basically just Uber but I guess they also deliver shoes, if I’m to trust this man in the green helmet?). While I’m clearly reading too much into an ad for ride sharing, I can’t help but shake the feeling this offers a clean synthesis of Asia’s major music industries...and what could be next.
Feels Grab Man
Oricon Trail For The Week Of Sept. 14, 2020 To Sept. 20, 2020
Back in the day, the Oricon Music Charts were the go-to path to music stardom in Japan. Acts of all sorts traversed these lands, trying to sell as many CDs as possible in order to land a good ranking on a chart choosing to only count physical sales, even as the Internet came to be and the number of versions offered for sale got ridiculous. Today, with the country finally in on the digital, these roads are more barren and only looked at by the most fanatic of supporters needing something to celebrate. Yet every week, a new song sells enough plastic to take the top spot. So let’s take a drip down…the Oricon Trail.
Kis-My-Ft2 “Endless Summer” (184,043 Copies Sold)
For whatever reason, Kis-My-Ft2 has long been the Johnny’s group I’m willing to push forward as the best sounding outfit within their stable. “Endless Summer” offers a good outline of why — it’s a slightly premium version of a Johnny’s pop song, the equivalent of paying an extra $1.50 for guacamole on a burrito but said addition really does add something. It’s a little swifter and a little busier, while whoever wrote this decided to break up the verses with quick dips into rap that never overstay their welcome. Coupled with an appropriate “tropical” vibe, “Endless Summer” works as above average boy band pop.
News And Views
Tone Glow has had some great interviews with Tori Kudo and Eiko Ishibashi in the past week.
Flood Magazine has a great interview with Hoshino Gen, who continues to reveal layers to himself. (Any English-language editors looking for a profile / interview, get in touch, please!)
That Sakanaction livestream concert from a while back felt like a success after it happened…and now an article confirms it was, pulling in 60,000 viewers over two days.
Japanese music industry thinking about streaming due to COVID-19, sure, but I do find it funny that K-pop gets cited so much when the move now is to charge fans $50 for a box featuring a CD and a bunch of postcards.
Nayeon of TWICE out here covering the best Official HIGE DANdism song, maybe the strategy is working!
Last week, I wrote about Hololive, then in the last couple of days that whole world went wild. The gist of it — two virtual YouTubers were suspended for three weeks for “divulging confidential information and making statements insensitive to certain nationalities." That latter part refers to them implying Taiwan is a country which…uh oh, not good for a company trying to make inroads in China! Excited to see city pop shark film a grainy apology to the CCP.
Speaking of everything being political — everything is political, even Japanese entertainment being received by the West. Brush up on your Japanese skills and read my piece in Newspicks about how all creators should be aware their work can become part of an ideological battle.
Written by Patrick St. Michel (patrickstmichel@gmail.com)
Twitter — @mbmelodies